This invention relates to a composition comprising silicon, aluminum, zirconium, and borate, to a process for producing the composition, and to a process for using the composition.
A number of catalytic cracking catalysts such as zeolites are well known to those skilled in the art. Recently a composition comprising aluminum, zirconium, and borate is also known to be an effective catalytic cracking catalyst. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,407. A catalytic cracking generally involves steam and a catalytic cracking catalyst is generally regenerated in the presence of steam. The hydrothermal stability of the composition comprising aluminum, zirconium, and borate is generally not as good as one skilled in the art desires. Therefore, it appears there is an ever-increasing need to develop a catalyst which comprises aluminum, zirconium, and borate and is more hydrothermally stable.
An object of this invention is to provide a composition which comprises borate. Also an object of this invention is to provide a process for producing this composition. Another object of this invention is to employ this composition in a process for catalytically cracking hydrocarbons. An advantage of the invention is that the composition has good hydrothermal stability and product selectivity. Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the detailed description and the appended claims.
According to a first embodiment of this invention, a composition is provided which comprises aluminum, silicon, zirconium, and borate.
According to a second embodiment of this invention, a process is provided which comprises contacting a silicon compound, an aluminum compound, a zirconium compound, and a boron compound under a condition sufficient to effect the production of a solid material comprising silicon, aluminum, zirconium, and borate.
According to a third embodiment of this invention, a process which can be used for catalytically cracking a hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons is provided. The process comprises contacting a first hydrocarbon-containing fluid with a catalyst composition under a catalytic cracking condition effective to a produce a second hydrocarbon-containing fluid in which the molecules or molecular weight of the hydrocarbons in the second hydrocarbon-containing fluid are smaller than those in the first hydrocarbon-containing fluid.